Peanut-picking machine.



J. L. HARRINGTGN. PEANUT PICKING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov, 2o, 1911.

Patented Aug. 13, v1912.

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J. L. HARRINGTON.

PEANUT PICKING MAUHINE. APPLIUATION rILnD Nov. 2o, i911.

Patented Aug. 13, 19412.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. L. HARRINGTON.

PEANUT PICKING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION rILBn Nov.2o,1a11.

Patented Aug. 18, 1912.

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@Normas J. L. HARRINGTON. PEANUT PIGKING MAGINB.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 20, 1911. 1,035,437. Patented Aug. 13,1912.

4 SHEETSSIEET 4,

au vanto@ Jrriryan) JOHN L. HARINGTON, OF LEWISTON, NORTH CAMROII'INA.l

PEANUT-PICKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Aug. 13, 1912.

Application filed November 20, 1911. Serial No. 661,361.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J min L. Ihmnxu'ron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lewiston, in the county ot Bertie and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Peanut- Piching Machines, of .which the following is a specification, rcit'erence being had to the accompanying drawings.

This linvention is an improved peanut. picking machine for separating peanuts from the vines and roots after they have been dug, the invention consisting in the construction, combination and arrangement ot devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In thefaccoinpanying drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a peanut picking ina 'chine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the reverse side'thereot'; Fig. 3 is a, vertical, longitudinal, central sectional view of the same; Fig. l is a substantially horizontal sectional View of the saine on the plane indicated by the line 4.--4 o t' Fig. tl; Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view ot' the saine on the plane indicated by the line of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a detail, vertical sectional view on the plane indicated by the line (SF-(S of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the picker bars and showing seine of the icker teeth secured thereto; 'and Fig.

8 is a etail perspective View otl one of the teeth.

The frame 1 of the .machine may be ot' the form here shown or oit' any other suitable construction and is preferably provided with wheels 2 and axles 3 to enable the inachine to be drawn from one place to another.

At the front end of the machine, at its upper side, is a feed trough 4. This trough discharges on the front portion of the upper lead of an endless carrier 13 which coinprises a pair oit endless sprocket chains (3 connected togethervby transverse liight bars 7 which are provided with outwardly projecting spurs 8. The chains of the endless carrier engage sprocket wheels 9 on a pair of shafts 10, l1. The shaft 1l is also provided, at its ends, on the outer sides ot the frame 1, with sprocket Wheels 12h13. It will be observed upon reference to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings that the `leads oi.` the conveyer 5 are inclined. Under the inclined. upper lead ot the conveyer is an inclined screen 14, which is fixed, and over the upper surface of which the flight bars of the conveyer pass rearwardly as indicated by the .arrow (l, in Fig. 3.

.A picker traine .15 comprises a pair of longitudinal, inclined side bars lo and a series of cross bars 17 which connect and are secured on the upper sides of said bars 16. The bars 17 are provided with picker teeth 1S which extend rearwardly and downwardly therefrom and the lower ends of which are disposed slightly above the. screen 141. so that the flight bars ot' the carrier 5 move past the lower ends of the picker teeth.

These picker teeth are yieldable so .that they' can turn angular-ly to permit the flight bars of the carrier to pass under them. '.lhev are here shown as made in pairs from sulistantially U-shapcd spring rods bent to form a slotted connecting arni 1S), spring coils 20, Shanks 2l, and downwardly, angularlv turned Apoints Q2. The arms 19 of the picker teeth are secured to the under sides ot' the bars 17 by nieansot bolts Q3 and rods Q11-, which are disposed under the bars 17, pass through the spring coils Q0 ot the picker teeth and prevent the latter from turning on the bolts Q3 and getting ont oi alineinent.

The 'traine 15 is suspended by bolts 25 from cross bars 26 which connect the upper ends of pairs ofl stanchions 27 on opposite sides of the frame l.

An endless draper 2S, which is also inclined, is disposed below the screen 14. This draper is shorter than the screen and the rear portion of the latter 'projects rearwardly beyond the draper as shown in Fig. 3. The draper engages rollers 29.011 anaixle sha't't 30 and a driving shaft 31. The-said driving shaft is provided at one end w't-h a sprocket wheel 32, which is connected by an endless'sprocket chain 33 to the sprocket wheel l2 of the shai't 11 of the endless carrier 5 and, hence, said endless carrier is driven, as well as the draper, by the driving shaft, as will be understood. The. upper lead of the endless draper, which is inclined, :iisd moves rearwardly in the machine.

The driving shaft :il is further provided,

at the end opposite that which is provided Y' Y ments.

It will be understood thatthe blower discharges a blast of air rearwardly under the rear portion of'the draper and out. through the rear end of the machine, as indicated by the arrow b inFig. 3. v

The picker 15 includes reciprocating elen addition to the fixed cross bars 17 it is provided with reciprocating cross bars 39 ata suitable distance from its rear end, and which are disposed alternately with some of the fixed bars and arranged in pairs. These movable bars 39 are likewise provided with `picker teeth 40 which are identical in construction withthe picker teeth 18 hereinbefore described andthe said movable bars are pivotally connected to rocking bars 42, one of which is secured tothe upper end of a vertically disposedl rock shaft 43. Said rock shaft is mounted in a bearing Ut-on oneV side of the machine frame and has at. its lower end a crank arm 45, which is connected to a crank pin on the sprocket wheel 32 by means of a pitinan rod 47. Hence when the machine is in operation the rock shaft 43 is actuated andi causes the arms 39 of the picker frame to '-be reciprocated in the direction of their own length and transversely of the picker frame so that the teeth 40 of the said reciprocating bars 39 are also caused to reciprocate.

1n the rear portion of the machine is a downwardly and rearwardly inclined chute a8 which is disposed at the rear vof the chute is draper and on which the latter discharges, the said chute being also disposed under the vrear portion of the screen 14. This rovided at its lower rear side with downwardly and rearwardly curvedfingers 49.' yBtelow t-he said chute is a downwardly and forwardly inclined. vibrating feed grate l which is suspended and Asupported by h'a-ngerssl. At the rear end of the machine frame is ashatt- 52 which is mounted in bearings 53 and is provided, at points intermediate its ends, with cranks 54 which are connected, by means of rods 55 to the grate,

Y whereby to reciprocate the said feed grate The crank 58 is connected by a rod 58 toi/the" when the` shaft is revolved. Said crank shaft is provided at one end with a sprocket wheel 56 and also with a crank 57. Said shaft has a crank 58 at the opposite end.

lower crank arm 60 of a rock shaft 61 and the rock shaft is mounted in a bearing 62, and is provided at its upper end with a crank arm 63 which is connected to a bar 64 that extends through a slot 65 in one Side of the machine frame and projects from the chute 48. slide or reciprocate transversely-of"themachinev frame, its supports being indicated'at 66 and it will be understood that recipro- V eating motion is communicated to the said chute by the rock shaft 61 and the connections hereinbefore described.-

The said chute is mounted to VV Under the lowerront side, which is the discharge side, of the feed grate 50 is a vibrating trough 67 which extends trans# versely across the machine. vframe, is supported by hangers 68 and is connected to the lower arm 69 of a vertically mounted rock shaft 70 which is supported in a bearing 71 on one side of the machine frame. Said rock shaft also has an upperarm 72 which is connected by a itman rod 74 to the crank arm 57 of the s aft 52 and hence the trough 57 islvibrated.

A series of shafts 75 which are disposed A in an inclined plane just beloav the feed grate 50 and mounted in bearings in the sides of the machine'frame, are provided with saws 76 which, are disposed in the spaces between the bars of the grate 50. These shafts are each provided at one end with a sprocket wheel 77 and thesaid sprocket wheels are engaged by an [endless sprocket chain 78 which is driven by the sprocket wheel 13 of the shaft 11 and. also engages the sprocket. wheel 56 of the shaft 52 so that the shaft 52 which operates the grate and the trough 6 7 and the shafts 75 which carry the saws 76, are all revolved when the machine is in operation. The chain 78 is also engaged byfa tightener sprocket wheel 79 and an idler sprocketwheel 80. The o eration of my invention is as follows: T e peanuts7 vines and all, as du from the ground, are thrown into the troug or hopper 4 and fed therefrom to the carrier 5. As the carrier moves upwardly and rearwardly, over the screen 14 and under the picker teeth 18, the latter operate to pull or pick the peanuts from the vines or haulm and most of the peanutsl thus picked froml the vines drop directly through the meshes of the screen 14 on ito the upper lead of the draper 28. As the material passes under the reciprocating bars 39 of the picker frame t-he reciprocating picker teeth 41 act in conjunction with the fixed picker tebth 18 to thoroughly shake the vines and dislodge the remaining peanuts therefrom. Such peanutsdo/not drop directly on the draper drop from the rear po'rtion of the screen 14 on to the reciprocating'chute 48. The haulm is discharged by the carrier 5 at the rear end f 50; The reciprocating motion of the said grate, together with its inclined arrangeinent, causes the peanuts, with their adhermg rootlets, to pass downwardly and forwardly on the inclined grate and the pea nuts are subjected to the action of the saws 7 6, which coact with the bars of the grate to detach the rcaitlets from thc nuls and to clean them and the cleaned 'nuls are discharged from the grate into the trough 6T,

the latter discharging the nuts into a suitable receptacle at one side ot the machine frame. The air blasty troni the rotary blower 36 passes downwardly and rearwardly under the chute that the peanuts, as they .drop

4from the chate-on to the inclined reciprocating'gratet, are subjected to the action oft-the air blast and cleaned thereby, the air blast, carryingr ott' the light particles of trash,

as, will be understood.

l"Having thus described my invention I claim:

A machine Aof the class described having a frame, a screen and a carrier movable longitudinally onthe screen, in combination with a picker frame disposed above the screen and having cross barsand pickertecth arranged in pairs, each pair conmrising a 4Substantially U-shaped spring rod, bent to form a slotted connecting arm, spring coils and Shanks extending from the spring coils 'and connected to the slotted arm thereby,

the said slotted arms of the pairs of picker -teeth 'bcarinfr a ainst the sait. cross bars picker tccth hcaring.r against lhc said cross bars. bolts securing said slotted arms to the cross bars` and rods arrangcd transvcrsclv ol the pickcr lramc and extending through the coils ol the picker teeth.

Cl. A machine ol thc character described, including picking,r mechanism. and stcmming mechanism. the slcmminpr mechanism includimer an inclined ,crate and rcvolublc saws mounted between he hars ol` the grate, means l'or operating said saws. and means for*longitudinally reciprocating;f said grate.

l. A machine of the character dcscrihcd, including,r picking mechanism. sttmnning mechanism underneath thc picking mcchanism, means for carrying the mils from the picking mechanism to the stemming mechanism, the stennning mechanism including' a longitudinally reciprocating grate, rcvoluble saws mounted between the bars of the grate, means for reciprocalingr the grate, means for rotating the saws, a transverse chute at the discharge cud ol the grate. and means for imparting a transversely reciprocal ingmovement to said chute. i

In a machine ot' thccharactcr described, stemming mechanism including a longitudinally reciprocatingr inclined grate` revoluble saws mounted bel wccn thc bars of the grate, a transversely extending,r discharge chiite at the lower end ol' the grate. and ntcans for simultaneously" longitudinally reciprocaling the grate, revolvingr the saws, and trans versely reciprocal-ing the chute.

In testin'tony whereof l hereunlo allix my signature in the presence ot two witnesses.

JOHN li. llllltlNG'lON. Witnesses J. J. Braamt, L. S. `lVntm. 

